Anywhere I Wander: Sins of the Father
by JRisner
Summary: This is a tale of the human condition. About the evolution of a man - and how the wasteland can tear asunder any and all trace of human decency. Albert "Thirteen" Harrison is such a man - a resident of Vault 101 who's world is about to be turned head over heels. This is a story of loss. How far can a man bend before he breaks?


_**A couple things before we begin...first, my notes before and after the chapters (when I do them) for this story will not be in italics, as is customary with my stories...that's because I'm also going to be incorporating Three Dog into the story, and sections in italic will be dialogue from Three Dog.**_

_**My Fallout 3 story isn't going to be pretty. I'm_ making some significant deviations from the Fallout 3 story. I intend to flesh out some of the characters that are blank slates (the companions, for instance). I'm even making major players out of some NPC's that served little to no purpose (such as Sam Warrick, who's actually going to be one of the lead characters in the series). James (the Lone Wanderer's father) is also going to be heavily edited from his in game appearance. I'm sure by now you've all noticed that I like to dive into the psychology of the characters that I use. James makes a particularly interesting character because his child cost him the life of his wife. Further, the in game model of the Lone Wanderer's mother is significantly older than James. I'm going to be playing with that as well._**_

**_Where the 18 Karat Run series focuses primarily on the ethics of politics, war, and religion...Anywhere I Wander is going to focus on much darker subjects. Racism (or speciesism), murder, pedophilia, psychosis, abandonment, loss, and the lines where survival and cruelty blur. It's going to emphasize the many shades of grey that exist in the Fallout world. How what's right for one may not be right for another. And a major component of that story will be Thirteen's struggle with how the ethics he has been taught all his life don't apply on the outside._**

**_The story is going to be broken down into "books". Book I (Sins of the Father) will chronicle everything up until Project Purity. Book II (Southern Comforts) will chronicle Thirteen's venture into Point Lookout Maryland. I'm going to be making some deviations from the storyline that the DLC uses in order to focus more on the setting and some of the things that happen in Point Lookout and how that will affect Thirteen. Book III (Who Dares Wins) will focus on the Brotherhood and the Enclave. Book IV (Into the Pitt) will chronicle Thirteen's capture and enslavement and his time in the Pitt. The final book, Book V (Not Of This World) will focus on the final DLC for Fallout 3, Mothership Zeta. I'm going to tackle this in a very particular manner...though I do not wish to give it away at this point._**

**_Much like 18 Karat Run, I have an additional tale to tell. This will be in the same vein as Joshua Graham's origin story, The Prodigal Son. Book VI (Value in Veins) will explore the background of Sam Warrick._**

**_Now, the prologue to Anywhere I Wander Book I: Sins Of The Father_**

* * *

><p><em>Grab your hankies, boys and girls…cause Three Dog's got a gut-wrenching tale for you.<em>

_A little tale about a kid from Vault 101…and his search for his daddy._

_More than that, really. This is a story about a man's evolution. About a kid with hopes and dreams and – dare I say – innocence. About how the Wastes can rip that apart…and about how one kid did everything in his power to stand up against it, and failed._

_It's a story about the lives he touched. The people he saved…and killed along the way._

_You all know of Vault 101, don't you? For those of you unfamiliar, North-West of Megaton, there's a vault. And that vault, boys and girls, is still operational._

_If you don't know about these vaults – you need to crawl out of that cave you've been hiding in. Two hundred years ago – after millennia of armed conflict – mankind bit the bullet. Fire rained from the heavens and the world was plunged into an abyss of nuclear radiation._

_But this wasn't the end…no no. People are like radroaches, children. We hold on…we persevere. So this wasn't the end of the world…it was just the prologue of another bloody chapter of human history._

_How'd we survive? Well…different ways. But thousands of us were spared the horrors of the holocaust by taking refuge in enormous underground shelters. Vaults, kids. Havens built by Vault-Tec to secure the future. Or so they'd have you believe. _

_Vault 101 was different though…while the rest of the vaults released their, ah…inhabitants into this hellish wasteland…101 slid closed and, if you believe the stories, never reopened._

_Of course, we all know that to be bullshit. 'Cause there are most definitely still people in that hole in the ground, and every now and then, one comes scrabblin' out._

_One of those was this kid._

_It's always a sad day when a hero falls in battle…the greater the hero, the deeper the grief. But what about a hero that loses to himself? _

_Good kid goes bad…it's the story of the Wasteland, right? Still. It's a sad day for us all._

_See, that kid had me fooled…had everyone of us fooled. We pegged him as one of the good guys. Fool me once, shame on me…fool me twice…_

_And fuck you, kid. If you're out there listening._

_I'm getting ahead of myself though – right kiddos?_

_See this isn't just a story about that kid. It's a story about human nature. And it starts a long time ago. Before the Great War even._

_War…now that's a scary subject._

_You see, kids. Since the dawn of human kind…when our ancestors discovered the killing power of rock and bone…blood of our fellow man has been spilled._

_In the name of God…_

_Military campaigns and crusades launched by the Roman Catholic Church during the Middle Ages – sanctioned by the Pope, himself – saw the massacre and murder of millions. The French Wars of Religion saw between two and four million people killed between the two opposing sides._

_I can't make this shit up._

_In the name of justice and freedom._

_Civil wars fought by countries all over the world…this often masked the true intention of the wars people fought in their name. Bounties, spoils, and wealth are to be had…and when there are people in power, they are always willing to sacrifice numbers untold._

_In the name of perfection._

_You kids ever hear of a guy named Adolph Hitler? A mean motherfucker with a funny little caterpillar perched on his upper lip. This guy had people killed by the millions. _

_And, at times, for the sake of simple, psychotic rage._

_I guess that's where 101 comes in._

_See, this kid was born to a hip cat by the name of James. And his mama…she was an angel if one ever graced the Wastes._

_You know what she wanted? "The waters of life. Free and clean, for any and all."_

_That's a vision shared by her husband…and by her kid. At least, at first._

_But that's the thing about the Wasteland, kids. It'll change you, if you let it. Children, pray for the soul of the Lone Wanderer._

_And pray for the rest of us too, while you're at it._

'_Cause something in him changed. War does that…it changes you. The kick of it all? It never changes itself.  
><em>

* * *

><p>"It's a boy," Doctor Li announced.<p>

A brief memory flashed before James Harrison's eyes.

And in that moment he was sitting his bed five months prior – his beautiful wife, Catherine – the love of his life – laying next to him. Her hand holding his own – pressing it against her stomach.

"It's a boy," she told him.

"Yeah?"

Two hundred-fifty years ago, it would have been a guess. She was only just beginning her second month of pregnancy – not far enough along that the doctors could have determined their child's gender.

But times change. Following the second world war, technology began to advance exponentially. By the year 2050, they could easily tell the child's gender within two months of the child's conception. Hell, they could control it.

That was a different world – a different time. Echoes of a broken past that the residents of Washington D.C. only spoke about in hushed tones. Something so fragile that it felt as if it might break away if spoken in anything but – as if it might slip away in the winds, crumbling like the sands of time around it.

She sighed – her silvering hair falling loosely to the bed. She leaned close, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're sure you're okay with this?"

"What's there to be sure about?"

"Us. Our child…bringing him into this world."

_This_ _world_. He felt his stomach sink at the thought – a world wrought with perils of every shape and form.

"I am," he told her.

He wasn't. She knew he wasn't.

But that's what love is all about, isn't it? About making sacrifices? She wanted a baby…she wanted to watch him grow into a man. James knew he couldn't deny her that.

Now she lay, in agony, on this God forsaken table: IV's running into her arms – connecting her to machinery that he knew he couldn't rely on.

"It's a boy," he repeated – looking up at her.

"Let me hold him…"

James reached down, snipping the umbilical cord. Doctor Li gently cleaned the child – wrapping him in a light blue cloth – and passed him to his father.

In turn, James passed him on to his mother – her smile lit up the room.

"He looks just like you…" she choked out – stifling her tears with laughter. "What are we going to name him?"

James shrugged. He hadn't really thought about it. Not like she had. From day one…she had scrounged the depths of her mind and every great work of writing she could find. The Grapes of Wrath, To Kill a Mocking Bird, Frankenstein, The Great Gatsby, the Holy Bible…the list poured on and on.

James had been busy fixing the equipment around the memorial. Tidying up their living quarters…scavenging the Capital Wasteland. Looking for any sort of materials, supplies, or items they could use.

He had been busy monitoring the child's in-utero development…looking for any signs of distress, mutation, or danger.

He didn't have the heart to tell his wife about their son's condition.

_His affliction_.

One that would leave him on medication for the rest of his life.

"Whatever you want to name him…" he told her, brushing the dark hair from her face.

She smiled up at him.

"I think…"

She paused. A long pause – looking down at her child.

"You think?" With a smile, James tilted his head. He looked at her – her facial expression blank. Her pupils dilated – her hands gripping the child tightly, squeezing him hard with her hands. The infant began to cry.

James snatched the crying child from her grip – his fatherly instincts taking control – quickly handing him off to a nearby assistant. "Catherine!"

On the bed, Catherine began to convulse.

"Catherine! Catherine stay with me! Li!"

"Her BP's dropping – heart rate failing! She's going into cardiac arrest!"

The machines around them began to beep and buzz frantically. James could feel his stomach twisting into knots as he struggled to remain focused.

"Get him out of here!" Li commanded.

"No! I can help!"

"James…"

"Get him out! Now!"

"…take care of our boy…" Catherine managed to choke out – it was barely a whimper.

"Catherine!"

The assistant grasped his shoulder tightly – pulling him from the room. When she had pulled him clear, she slammed the door tightly. James was instantly against it, pounding his fists against the cold steel.

"James…" the woman's voice was calm, masking her concern.

He ignored her, he continued pounding the door. Every other breath screaming out the name of his beloved.

The child was crying – its crying drowned out by the screams of its father.

"James!"

His body was trembling.

"There's nothing you can do!"

His knuckles were bleeding.

She reached out, once more – grasping his shoulder. She wheeled him around. "There's nothing you can do!"

His hand fumbled with his belt – he drew his pistol, a rusted black 10mm.

So did the assistant. She stood quietly – her eyes locked coldly on his own.

"Don't do anything you're going to regret…" She warned him. "He's going to need you."

James let his eyes fall on to the child.

His bright pink skin a stark comparison to the monotonous world around them.

"Cross…I…I…"

"Everything is going to be alright," The woman told him.

_Everything's going to be alright_.

The first of many lies in this child's life.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure this is what you want to do?"<p>

James looked up at the woman before him. "Madison…you know I can't stay here."

"But…what about our research? What about Project Purity? All the work we've done!"

James could hear the sting in her voice – the betrayal. She all but said it…

_What about us_?

He hadn't meant for it to happen…but, when the age difference was as wide as the one between he and his wife…

Sometimes…

Doctor Madison Li was closer to his age…in her early twenties when she met him. A colleague and friend throughout his years of study.

Catherine was…well, she was a bit older.

It was their love of science that brought them together – but it was their love of each other that kept them that way.

She was his tutor – his mentor. In her twenties when they first met.

James, born January 7th, 2226, had grown up in a vault not far outside of the DC ruins – Vault 101.

The Vault lived under a cold motto – one that James was never quite certain he could agree with. _We were born in the vault, we live in the vault, and we die in the vault_.

In November of 2230 a new Overseer took the helm. A man by the name of Albert Delorane – proud and audacious. Delorane was in favor of outside contact – as such, he began to systematically dismantle the founding principles of Vault 101. Not everyone was pleased with this – particularly the Almodovar family, who strongly upheld the ideals held by the Vault's founders.

James had always been a man who lived for his studies. Early on, his father told him that he'd be the vault's instructor one day – that the youth of future generations would be guided by his very hands. He suggested – in this light – that the current instructor take James as her apprentice. The then twenty-four year old Catherine was none too pleased about the prospect of taking the ten year old boy under her wing. It was far too early to be training a replacement in her eyes. But she grew fond of the boy.

And in time, a little too close.

He was thirteen when he opened up about his feelings to her, something she was not very keen on. But by the time he was fifteen, they had developed romantic attachment.

Of course, such a relationship was taboo for many reasons. She was fourteen years his senior – and, more than that, she was his teacher. His mentor.

Still, the heart wants what it wants.

Knowing that they could never truly embrace their love of one another within the vault without rousing the ire and contempt of their fellow vault dwellers, James made a resolution.

As long as the overseer was promoting outside contact and sending out expeditions – why shouldn't he join them?

After all, James was at the top of his class. At fifteen, he knew more about thermonuclear physics, medical treatment, and computer science than any of his fellow students.

Though his father was not thrilled – Delorane was overjoyed to have such a promising pupil on board. If he could rile the future leaders of the vault behind him, he knew he could accomplish much.

Of course – if he were to leave the vault, he would need supervision. And that's where Catherine came in.

So, on January 10th, 2241 – shortly after his fifteenth birthday – James and Catherine set out into the wastes on what would become one of the last expeditions that Vault 101 would ever launch.

The team first ventured to Megaton – a city built in the crater left in the aftermath of the Great War. Megaton was an impressive structure from the outside looking in. The town was undergoing a renovation of sorts – massive steel walls were being erected around it. Walls that would eventually tower above near everything else in the Wastes.

But looks are often deceiving, and in time James saw Megaton for what it really was. A refuge for wastelanders struggling to survive – built on the backs of broken men and women, to protect themselves from the cruel outside world.

It was bleak, barren, and barely fit for survival…living in the hollow remains of aircrafts wired and boarded together with a pathetic irrigation system running irradiated water between them.

At the town's center was a behemoth of a weapon – an undetonated thermonuclear device.

Many of the townspeople worshiped it. Those that didn't tended to stay in their homes.

Or in the local pub – owned by a kid named Colin Moriarty. At fourteen, Moriarty had inherited his father's wealth, his pub, and his power. His father had died in a raid not two weeks prior to the "vault dwellers" – as the group was called – arrival. When Moriarty had inherited his wealth – he immediately called for and funded the construction of the massive barricade that stands today. Whether or not Moriarty had the wall built to protect the people of Megaton, his own saloon, or to pave his way into political power remains debatable.

But, though that wall was protecting them from the outside in…the real problem was what was already inside. James was certain of two things at that time – one, it was only a matter of time before that bomb in the center of town detonated. And two – he didn't want to be here when it did.

But they couldn't very well live in the wastes – in his short time on the outside, James had heard some horror stories. Not everyone in the Capital Wasteland was civil…in fact, few were. Stories of raiders and slavers spread like wildfire – cruel men and women who'd kill at the drop of a hat.

There were many horror stories…then, there was Rivet City.

Rivet City was a bastion of hope in the wasteland – an urban sprawl built in the beached carcass of an old world air craft carrier just south of D.C.

In its early days, the carrier had been inhabited by a group of raiders…but that wasn't the problem. The real problem was underneath the carrier. Its sublevels were infested by large creatures the locals called mirelurks.

Out in the wastes, one would hope to run into a group of mirelurks over a group of raiders any day of the week…but that's because one could escape a group of mirelurks. These large crab-like creatures were slow on their feet. So long as they didn't catch you off guard, escape was easy enough…mostly because mirelurks don't carry guns.

The issue was…outside you could run. If the carrier was to become the fortified sanctuary it was envisioned to be – the thick shelled creatures would have to be cleared out. This was no easy task…as the sublevels were mostly flooded. While outrunning the beasts on land was simple enough, out-swimming them was quite a different matter. To make things worse, penetrating their shells was just shy of impossible without damn heavy firepower. So you had to get close…aim for the face.

It was no simple task, and more than a few good men and women died. But on April 25th, 2239 – Rivet City was born – complete with a market, American History Museum, a church, clinic, bar, hotel…and, perhaps most importantly, a hydroponics bay.

The thriving scientific community drew James and Catherine to Rivet City. So, it came as no surprise that a mere couple of weeks after their arrival at Megaton, James and Catherine jumped ship – so to speak. A group of ironclad men had sent a patrol out into the wastes, lead by a woman named Cross. When James spoke to her about Rivet City, she offered them safe passage through the wastes…something James couldn't pass up.

It was in Rivet City that James and Catherine's relationship was finally able to blossom. James continued his studies – working with Catherine and another man, one of the most brilliant men he would ever meet, by the name of Horace Pinkerton. James and Catherine would work with Pinkerton and his group of scientists on water and food purification. By 2250, they had made large strides to supplying the wasteland with radiation-free food.

Three years later – at eighteen and thirty-two respectively – James and Catherine married.

Years would pass and James rarely gave the vault a second thought.

It was in 2255 that James met her – Madison Li. Madison was a scribe in what was known as the Brotherhood of Steel; the same group that escorted James and Catherine, giving them safe passage through the wasteland. At twenty-six, three years his junior, Madison could keep up with James in even the most difficult mathematical equations.

The Brotherhood sect was led by a man named Owyn Lyons. Lyons had seen the disparaging state the Capital Wasteland was in and wished to help. Madison Li came to Rivet City vibrant and full of life. She had high hopes for the hydroponics bay and wanted to see the progress that had been made with purification. But her aspirations were much larger – what the scientists at Rivet City did on small scale, she wanted to do for the tidal basin.

This was something that Catherine had also long desired. So – with the help of Madison Li and the Brotherhood, Project Purity was born.

With Elder Lyons came another prospect – one that James hadn't considered.

At this point, Catherine was well on in her years – at forty-three, her hair starting to grey, she began to feel concerned about her legacy. She had considered having a child, but it was always something that James seemed so intolerant of. The idea of bringing a child into the world as it was disgusted him. On more than one occasion, he had made remarks of his disdain of the idea. After some deliberation, they – and by that, one should read "he" – decided that having a child was a bad idea. So, eventually, she dropped the subject.

But – seeing the four year old Sarah Lyons, daughter of Elder Lyons, with her innocent smile and golden locks – she began to dream of the prospect again.

This change in her didn't go unnoticed. James was very adept at reading his wife. As he and Madison became friendlier – she began to withdraw more and more into her studies.

So, after more drinks than he cared to admit – he reluctantly agreed to try.

At first, it seemed like a pointless endeavor; no matter how hard they tried. Catherine was sure that she had become barren…while James was convinced that it was the work of a higher power.

It was in the winter of 2257, after a few shots of the finest scotch he could find, that they would find success.

Catherine was pregnant.

At this, Madison began to distance herself – out of professional respect, she claimed, for James and Catherine. But James knew the sentiment to be untrue.

On July 13th, 2258, two months prematurely, Catherine began to have contractions.

And now, looking at the abomination that took the life of its mother, James felt nothing but contempt.

"…I understand," Madison lied. "You need to take care of your son."

_I need to?_ _A dying mother's wishes…_

Madison looked at the child with hope – despite her resentment – cradled in his father's hands. Oblivious to the carnage that he had caused – he smiled widely.

James, on the other hand, looked at the child with a bleak eyed emptiness. Apathy coursing through his veins.

"Where are you going to go?"

_The wasteland is no place for a child_, his mind kept telling him. "Home…"

"Back to Rivet City?"

She almost sounded hopeful.

"Back to the Vault."

"Oh…" she swallowed, her voice cracking a bit.

"Are you going to continue our research?"

Madison shrugged lightheartedly. "As long as they'll let me…"

"And if the Brotherhood leaves? You'll be going with them, I imagine."

"No…Rivet City is my home now."

James smiled. "Maybe I'll see you again one day…"

"Maybe…" Madison's voice was heavy. Her throat hurt and she fought back tears…she had never been good at goodbyes. "Have you…have you thought about a name?" She asked quickly, changing the subject.

Only one name came to mind. The name of the man who made his life with Catherine possible…however short his time with her might have been. "Albert…"

"Albert…" Madison sneered at the name. "Albert? Really?"

_Little Albert_, James thought, _born on the thirteenth…a testament to the luck he brought to this world._

"Albert 'Thirteen' Harrison."

* * *

><p>The journey back to Vault 101 wasn't easy – it hadn't been easy to make when it had been James, Catherine, and a handful of Brotherhood paladins…and it was that much harder with James and a screaming baby boy.<p>

_Babies are noisy…needy…_

James shook his head, he had to purge himself of such thoughts. Catherine wouldn't want it this way.

At least Star Paladin Cross had agreed to escort him back to the vault…even if it was by herself.

The wasteland was wrought with dangers…there were the raiders and mirelurks, to be sure. But there were other dangers. Scorpions the size of small vehicles. Rodents as big as dogs…and then, there were the packs of rabid dogs.

But that was the least of his concern.

What he was really concerned about were the mutated abominations…prowling every inch of the wastes. Beasts large enough to crush a man's skull with one hand.

And then there were _other things_. Stuff nightmares were made of…razor sharp claws, jaws that could crush bone like candy.

The sun had just begun to set when they saw him.

In the distance, pacing towards them without a worry in the world.

If he noticed them, he didn't seem to care…and he didn't seem too concerned with being noticed himself.

"Get down…keep the boy quiet," Cross commanded.

So James did. He ducked into a nearby vehicle.

The kid was crying.

"Shhh…" He conjured up his most comforting voice. "Daddy's got you…there, there now…shhh."

He reached into the breast pocket of his lab coat and retrieved a small trinket…a limited edition bobble head produced by Vault-Tec hundreds of years ago.

"Look…look…" He tapped the toy's head and it gleefully bounced. The baby hushed up a moment, watching the toy.

"Yeah…neat huh?"

The creature was nearly upon them now – its yellow-green skin reflecting the moonlight.

Cross had climbed into the ruins of a nearby building – she aimed at the creature as it approached them, but did not fire.

She couldn't risk attracting the attention of its brethren.

It paced by the vehicle without giving it a second glance…they were in the clear.

Then, crying.

"No, no, no, no, no…shhh…"

"What's that?" The Goliath stopped. "Why…I haven't heard that sound…could it truly be?" It turned its fowl head towards the vehicle. "Please…" it entreated. "Come out, so that I may have a look at you."

No answer…but the child continued crying.

"You…" the creature struggled to find the words it was looking for. "You…have my word that no harm will come to you."

Cross edged from the building…she grew closer, as quietly as she could.

The creature turned to look at her – its plastic eyes locking on her.

"You haven't shot me yet…that's different…" he told her. "Most of your kind greet me with bullets…or else leave me alone entirely. Are you…" he paused. "Are you afraid of me?"

Cross didn't answer. She gripped the stock of her rifle tightly.

"Ah…I see…I understand your fear. I know…" his voice was raspy. At times it would increase in pitch and other times it sounded almost like gravel grinding together under foot. "…I am little more than a monstrosity. Fit to be hunted and slain…and nothing more. My brothers are savage killers…but…I try to think that I am different from them. Perhaps I am only fooling myself."

Cross remained silent – her rifle leveled on the creature's skull.

"Wait…" James raised from the vehicle, his curiosity getting the better of him – his child in hand. He silently beckoned Cross to lower the rifle. "You haven't attacked us…that speaks volumes."

"I sometimes fear I cannot escape my nature…" the creature took a breath.

"Perhaps that isn't your nature…" James pondered aloud, more to himself. "Aristotle…I don't imagine you know who that is…long ago a great philosopher insisted that a just man is produced by just acts."

The supermutant let out a low, guttural laugh. "And a temperate man through temperate acts."

A little surprised, James pulled his head back.

This aroused more laughter from the mutant. "My name…is Uncle Leo. Who are you?"

"James…"

"And who is this," the creature gestured to the child.

"It's…this is my son. Thirteen."

Leo squinted his eyes. "A strange name, indeed…"

"Why do you call yourself Uncle Leo?"

"I haven't really thought about it…perhaps it is who I was before I became _this_. Perhaps I read it in a book somewhere…I cannot recall…if you don't mind my asking, where are you headed?"

The mutant could see in his eyes that James was hesitant to disclose their destination – and James could see that his own fear offended the mutant.

"Forgive me…you're the first person to really speak to me since my brethren cast me out. I forget myself, sometimes. I'm sorry to bother you…I am…I am glad you decided to speak with me, even though you didn't want to. I will be on my way now."

The mutant turned and began to trot off.

Cross edged closer, her eyes never leaving the mutant. "You made the right…"

_The right what?_ James would never know, as he interrupted her.

"Leo…wait a moment."

The mutant turned back to look at them.

"Please…join us."

If the mutant could smile, James was sure he would smile at that notion.

The mutant's company made the trip back a little less perilous. Raiders kept their distance – fearing what the mutant may do. Though, undoubtedly, curious as to why it walked alongside two "bleeders", as the mutants referred to humanity.

Uncle Leo spoke much of what he could remember. He had been banished for his ideas concerning peace by his _brothers_.

And James learned much from the mutant. He learned that supermutants were not born – rather, created in a _cold dark place_. Leo was unsure of where this was or how it was done. He knew only that it existed somewhere out in the wastes.

He learned that the mutants had their own theology – their own sort of God, which they referred to as "The Master".

And he learned that things are not always as they appear to be.

But as the miles rolled on, and the mutant began to pick up on a thing or two himself.

Perhaps it was his lack of social dexterity, or perhaps his mutation had warped the pre-frontal cortex of his brain and he had lost sense of impulse control or self-control.

Whatever the case – Leo spoke his mind quite freely.

"You do not care for the boy, do you?"

James was taken aback.

"I do not mean to offend…I just pay attention. You must forgive me, I am not used to civilized conversation."

"I…" James searched his mind for a response. The truth was, he didn't have one. "It's just…complicated."

The supermutant nodded – "Life tends to be that way…If I might offer some advice."

"By all means."

"There was a time that I, too, carried much weight on my shoulders. Anger about my past…fear about what would happen next. I found that, as time pressed on, that weight grew heavier and heavier. The more I tried to fight what was, the more I tried to deny the world…the harder it became to even take a single step. Perhaps I am just not as strong as some people, but I found that by letting go, accepting what is and taking things as they come – I was able to stand again. Look at this beautiful moon in the night sky. Every night it rises and every morning it sets. It is not concerned with who or what will be here to watch it rise tomorrow night. It would not notice if, tomorrow, we were gone. There is no point in such worrying – holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent to throw it at another. You may succeed in your quest…but it in the end, it is you that gets burned."

James remained quiet.

"Just a little food for thought…I do not mean to intrude, and you have been a good friend to have such patience with me. But, I fear, we have grown too close to our destination. The humans here are typically not very welcoming of my kind. I shall leave you in peace. Take care of yourself, my friend."

"You as well, Leo."

James watched the supermutant turn from them and tread off into the wastes.

He would never see Leo again…but he would think of him from time to time. About the beast that saw only beauty in this ravaged world.

They stayed the night in Megaton – in that a tiny hovel of a saloon. Moriarty had accomplished what he set out to do.

Megaton was safe from the outside world. Walls stretched around it – closing it off from the hellish Wasteland.

Still, it wasn't safe enough. James had to go back.

He had to take his son home.

Back to Vault 101.

Cross escorted him to the vault early the next morning. A lot had changed since his departure all those years ago. Albert Delorane had long since disappeared. Rumors of foul play were abound, but no one ever ventured further into those stories.

After Delorane's _retirement_, Alphonse Almodovar had seized control, becoming the new Overseer. Upholding the founder's policies – James was certain his son would never see the inside of Vault 101.

But fate had a different plan. The Overseer's wife had contracted an illness that the vault had never before seen.

Something that, in truth, James had never before seen either.

But Alphonse didn't know that.

All it took was a brief mention of his medical knowledge…and desperation paved the way back into Vault 101.

Where no one ever enters…

And _no one_ ever leaves.

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>That's it for the prologue. Please - read and review. I encourage feedback. Tell me what you hope to see from this story - because, as of now, it isn't as fleshed out as 18 Karat Run is. I still have plenty of wiggle room in its development.<strong>_

_**Cheers.**_


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